


Telling Your Problems to a Pretty Stranger

by slamncram (GettheSalt)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/F, Funeral, Gen, meet on a train
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-10-06 00:04:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10320659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GettheSalt/pseuds/slamncram
Summary: Bobbi's not looking for company on the train. Not after the long weekend, and the funeral she's just left. The company she gets, though, might be exactly what she needs.





	

“Is this seat taken?”

The voice broke Bobbi out of her reverie, giving her a reason to tear her eyes away from the landscape rolling by outside the train window. They’d left the last station ten minutes ago, after loading up onboarding passengers and their luggage, but the car Bobbi was in had seen few passengers. Most of them had, of course, stuck to the coach cars. When Bobbi had bought her ticket, it had been nothing to upgrade to the first class car. This train only had two of them, which meant there would be few other first class passengers on her trip.

The woman standing by her was shorter, with shoulder length brown hair that was falling in soft waves around her face. A face that looked mainly nervous, but Bobbi could detect an edge of annoyance in it. Looking around the car, she realized why. There were few other passengers in the car with them, it was true, but of them, quite a few of the businessmen types had spread out their belongings over multiple seats. Jackets, computer bags, even their shoes. The train staff hadn’t said anything, yet, and it was unlikely this woman was going to.

Instead, she was hedging her chances with the woman in all black who had been staring out the window, lost in her own thoughts. Bobbi assumed she looked more approachable then these men.

“No, no, it’s free” Bobbi answered, pulling her legs in a little, making a bit more space for the other woman to move in and drop into the seat. Bobbi didn’t miss the way she glanced at the spine of the closed book she had set on her seat tray as she did. A curious one. Bobbi liked that.

“Thank you.” The other woman said. settling in. “You,” she gestured at the book, “You enjoy her writing?”

Bobbi glanced at the book herself. “Flynn? I do. It’s pretty twisted, keeps you guessing. Plus, hard not to like a book where the women always come out on top.”

Her new seatmate nodded. “My thoughts exactly. I just finished Dark Places about a week ago. Have you read that one?”

“I have.” Bobbi answered. She hadn’t expected her to strike up conversation. When she had been joined on the train in the past, the other person had always made an effort not to talk, or relate, or make conversation in any way. This woman, though, seemed very friendly, and it was exactly what Bobbi had needed to occupy her mind. She also had a very soothing British accent that Bobbi couldn’t help but listen to. “I’m Bobbi, by the way. Bobbi Morse.”

She held out a hand, that the other woman took. “Nice to meet you, Bobbi. Jemma Simmons.” She settled into her seat, setting her purse on the floor between her feet. “Business or pleasure?”

Bobbi smiled, knowing it was tight on her face. The ease that this conversation had begun in had ebbed away too quickly at that question. “Neither. Funeral.”

“Oh.” Jemma cringed openly. “I’m sorry, I should have guessed, with the…” She looked pointed at Bobbi’s all black ensemble. “I’m sorry. For your loss.”

Bobbi shook her head. “No, it’s all right. My clothes couldn’t have given it away. That’s nice of you to say. Don’t feel too bad, I wasn’t very close to him. He was a friend of a friend. His name was Tim.” Bobbi wasn’t sure why she was talking about this suddenly, but Jemma didn’t seem bothered by it, so she continued. “He was actually one of my old friend’s boyfriend. They met, working on a ship. Mechanics, you know? Tim died in an accident. I wanted to be there for Mack, for a few weeks. My ex and I actually managed to get along for a while, while we did. Mack needed us. That made the problems between us seem pointless.”

Jemma nodded and listened quietly, until Bobbi finished speaking. Then she reached over and put her hand over Bobbi’s, gentle and hesitant. It was comforting, and Bobbi let out a soft breath.

“I never thought I would end up in one of those ‘telling your problems to a pretty stranger on the train’ stories, but here we are.” She said, giving Jemma a smile. “If you don’t mind me calling you pretty.”

Jemma was even prettier when she smiled, looking down at their hands. “Not at all. You can absolutely keep talking about whatever you’d like.”

Bobbi had never thought of herself as the type of person who would open up to a stranger. There was just something about Jemma that made talking easy. Maybe being cooped up with Mack and Lance for the last two weeks had made her need the outlet more than she’d thought she ever would. Maybe it was just simply Jemma’s presence. The way she smiled, and nodded along, and spoke at appropriate intervals.

And the same time, Bobbi learned a lot about Jemma. She was traveling to visit some friends, in Bobbi’s city. She was a biochemist by education and career, originally from Sheffield. She enjoyed the Harry Potter books, but didn’t believe in magic, not really. And she thought that it was hilarious that one of the reasons for the tension between Bobbi and her ex, now, was that Bobbi had had a brief fling with Lance’s boss, Izzy, when they’d split.

“She wasn’t quite my type, but it was fun. We’re still close friends, obviously. I’m living the single life, now.” Bobbi said. The windows outside the train were dark, the sun long set. “How about you, Jemma? Anyone special in your life?”

Jemma shook her head, recapping her water bottle. “No. I haven’t found anyone I’d be willing to spend an evening with, aside from my close friends, for a while, now.” She looked Bobbi’s way, looking her up and down. “But, um, Bobbi. If you’d be up for it… I wouldn’t mind if you joined us - my friends and I - one night while I’m here, visiting?”

Bobbi smiled. “Do you think you’ve found someone you could spend an evening with?”

Jemma’s cheeks coloured, and Bobbi couldn’t help a thrill of victory. 

“That may be what I’m saying, yes.”

Bobbi smiled and leaned in, pressing a gentle kiss to Jemma’s cheek. “In that case, let me give you my number. Dinner sounds great.”

 


End file.
